By Raven Van Pelt

Despite the on again, off again rain on September 22nd, Hwy 17 Roadhouse Tavern, on Hwy 17 in Yulee held a charity concert for the Veterans Farm located in Jacksonville. The events started at 2 PM with 4 bands, such as Circle of Influence, Black Creek Rizin, Shell Game and Blister. Between band changes, there were raffle drawings, including a 50/50 raffle and a POW/MIA Ceremony. Auction Items, donations by Budweiser and Twisted Tea, as well as many vendor booths & exhibits, and plenty of food catered by Murray’s Grill completed the day. All in all there was a great turn out, all to help support the Veterans Farm. A special thank you must be said to the owners and staff of Highway 17 Roadhouse Tavern who put this on to honor family members who served in the armed forces…over $3500 was raised and donated!!

The Veterans Farm mission is to help disabled combat veterans reintegrate back into society through the use of horticulture therapy, while working together in a relaxed, open environment. Veterans work as a team to develop solutions that will enable them to overcome physical and mental barriers. Their goal is to help fill this gap by partnering with organizations like Farmers Veterans Coalition to assist disabled veterans in obtaining the resources to start their own farm or to work with larger farming organizations. Veterans Farm makes a connection between our veterans and the civilian community at large. The way they do this is by having disabled veterans grow and sell fruits and vegetables at farmers markets, U-pick and commercial markets. This will help them to become more comfortable socializing with the public. Their other goals are to show the public that veterans and disabled veterans can be successful working in the civilian world, to educate the community about the health benefits of eating organic food and to collaborate and work with local farmers.